Rangers defeated Hearts in the Scottish Gas Scottish Cup semi-final to advance to the Old Firm final. The mysterious striker for the Gers opened the scoring after five minutes and then wrapped up the win in the 78th minute for a 2-0 victory, leaving the Tynecastle club still looking for their first Hampden Park victory over the Ibrox team. Overall, though, it was a far from spectacular performance from Philippe Clement’s team, who has been struggling of late.
Nevertheless, on May 25 at the national stadium, Rangers and Celtic will square off in the Premiership title match. At that point, we will know which of the Old Firm teams has emerged victorious in the fight for the crown, which the Hoops are leading by three points with five games left.
Following Saturday’s thrilling semi-final between Celtic and Aberdeen, which the Hoops won 6-5 on penalties following a 3-3 draw, both teams had a lot to live up to. However, the actual game lacked both excitement and quality. The Jambos had not defeated the Light Blues in their previous 17 meetings and had fallen to Rangers four times this season, including once in the national stadium during the Viaplay Cup semifinal. The numbers suggested another Gers victory, but not the Rangers’ previous performance. The burden was on Clement and his players as the Ibrox team entered the encounter with only two wins in eight games across all competitions.
Connor Goldson, who had appeared in 48 of Rangers’ 52 games this season, was brazenly left out by the Belgian manager in favor of Leon Balogun, Mohamed Diomande, Rabbi Matondo, and Dessers. Hearts made three changes to their starting lineup, starting Stephen Kingsley, Alan Forrest, and Kenneth Vargas. Hearts are currently in third place in the league with one loss in seven games. The first opportunity fell to Dessers in the third minute as Tynecastle defender Frankie Kent battled and he headed a cross from Abdallah Sima over the bar.
But after being put up inside the Gorgie box by Gers midfielder Todd Cantwell, he calmly pulled the ball past Nathaniel Atkinson and guided it low past the seasoned Jambos keeper Craig Gordon to score his 18th goal of the year.
The goal put the Ibrox team at ease, but they were dealt a blow after only 15 minutes when Ross McCausland, a winger, took Sima’s position due to injury. Rangers appeared to be unsettled by the substitution, as keeper Jack Butland had to make fantastic saves from Kent and Forrest shortly after, even if Kent’s close-range attempt looked off. In the 51st minute, Vargas drove into the box after robbing a hesitant Gers defender John Souttar on the touchline, but there were enough Light Blue jerseys back to defend. Gorgie started to exert greater control toward the half, pushing Rangers backwards.
Just after the hour, Hearts substituted Dexter Lembikisa, Barrie McKay, and Yutaro Oda for Forrest, Jorge Grant, and Atkinson. Fabio Silva then replaced the unproductive Matondo, and Dessers was unable to prepare himself for a shot after receiving a pass from Cantwell ten yards from goal. As the Tynecastle lads crowded forward in the 73rd minute, Hearts captain Lawrence Shankland struck the side-netting with a header. However, Dessers broke the stalemate with a quick Gers attack.
The Gorgie defense was forced to retreat after Cantwell’s strong run. When he passed the ball to the Gers striker, Gordon blocked his initial attempt, but he was unfazed when he collected the rebound.
With two minutes left, Dessers set up Silva for a tap-in, but the Portuguese striker mishandled the ball six yards out. Butland then produced an incredible save to ensure that Rangers’ nerves were not frayed, allowing Dessers to squander another breakaway chance.
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